A Matter of Time
by WinterSunshine
Summary: Renesmee has reached full adulthood sheltered by her family. She's gone through life for the first seven years somewhat happily, but she craves normalcy, freedom, friends. But with a "normal" teenage life comes boy trouble (she still doesn't know Jacob's imprinted on her), friend trouble, and, of course, the hybrid issue. (Post-BD, canon pairings, eventually)
1. Celebrations

Mom pulled the car into its space in front of the house we'd lived in for the past two years. I stared up at it through the windshield for a minute before un-clipping my seat belt-something Daddy insisted I do, over and over, despite the fact I'm just as inhuman as the rest of them.

"What are all the lights for?" I asked mom as she opened her door and stepped out onto the driveway.

Mom glanced up, where half a dozen paper lanterns hung from the eaves of the colonial-esque front porch. Around each of the four towering pillars, twinkle lights had been roped with the utmost perfection, not a millimeter of asymmetry between each row.

The lights reflected in her butterscotch eyes, which fixed on my face now. She was wearing her 'I'm pretending not to know anything about this' face, which immediately made me suspicious.

"I'm not sure," she said, pulling open the back door. On the back seat was the bag of books we purchased earlier. She took me out this afternoon to buy the few that were on my wish list for my birthday. We went on a short hunting trip, and had a great chat about what had been going on in our lives recently. How much we missed Grandpa Swan, and that we'd have to visit sometime soon. The ongoing renovations to the house, how mom's college courses were going. My homeschooling, which had been enforced on me since I was little. I hated it. The one thing I'd been begging my parents for all summer was that I be allowed to go to high school, finally. I wanted a sense of normalcy to life, a routine, predictability. But more than that, friends. We talked about Jacob, a bit.

Jacob… My Jacob.

As the years had passed, and now, as my seventh birthday dawned-or rather, began to fade, techinically, as the stars started to twinkle over the trees bordering our property-my feelings toward Jake had ebbed and flowed, changed and grown. He'd lived with us my entire life, this strange alliance between vampires and werewolves, something I'd never heard of, and that was obviously not the norm. There was always an immense amount of tension when Grandma and Grandpa's friends came to visit. Jacob tended to go for lots of long walks.

Knowing that my family didn't exactly meet the norms of the supernatural world-from their diet to their cohabiting lifestyles-I realized that this just had to be _our_ norm. But I had to wonder, and that curiosity peaked when Jake moved with us two years ago, why he was around so much. I knew that he was a family friend, that he and mom were close before I was born, and I couldn't deny the intensely close relationship that had bloomed between the two of us-had always been there, really.

But what was so much more important, here with us, that he would leave his dad and his pack back in La Push for?

When I asked anyone about it, they always got this strange, pinched look on their face, this thin-lipped, secret-eyed expression that told me they know plenty more than they were willing to tell me.

"Jacob has strong ties here," Mom once told me, and that was the closest I'd come to uncovering this big, vague secret.

Now, Mom and I headed toward the wide front door. She pushed it open, stepping back to allow me entrance first. I stepped into the front foyer, and through the wide archway, I saw my family gathered in the living room, in front of a table laden with cream-paper-wrapped gifts, gorgeous periwinkle blue candles, and a ginormous three-tiered cake, iced in white, laden with lavender and periwinkle butter cream roses. I knew most of it would be gone in two days time, thanks to Jacob..

Nine familiar faces stared back at me, smiling hugely, pale and golden-eyed, all except for one. Jacob stood slightly off to the side, black hair brushing his jaw, copper skin glowing in the candle light, white teeth gleaming against his dark skin. My gaze lingered on him, his simple perfection in rugged jeans and dark blue henley, with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows.

"Happy birthday!" everyone chorused, and my attention was brought back to the rest of the crowd. Auntie Alice darted forward to wrap her arms around me, squeezing affectionately.

My mouth opened to release words, but nothing came. I shot my mom an accusing glance, who knew how much I hated surprises, a lot like her in that way. She gazed back at me, shrugging apologetically, a small smile on her lips as Dad wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed her hair.

Auntie Alice was dragging me toward the table, chattering away, probably so that I wouldn't be able to get a word of protest in edge-wise.

"Blow out your candles!" she trilled, gesturing to the glitter-laden candle topping the trifecta of a birthday cake.

A seven. Technically, I'd only existed on this earth seven years, yes, but my physical body told me otherwise. According to it, I was closer to seventeen, maybe eighteen years. Along with my intellect, mental and emotional capacities.

"Auntie Alice-" I began to say.

"Oh, don't start," she chided, jutting out a pouting bottom lip, "Just let us celebrate. Heaven knows we don't have a lot of birthdays around here."

I sighed, immediately feeling sort of guilty.

I let them sing happy birthday and blew out the candles. Alice served Jake and I each a slice of cake. As she was dishing them out onto the small crystal plates, Jake came to my side, wrapping a comforting, warm arm around my shoulders.

"Happy birthday, Nessie," he mumbled in my ear.

"Thanks, Jake," I muttered, turning to give him a full-on hug. Everyone else was always complaining about how much Jacob stank, but I couldn't see it-or rather, smell it. As I pressed my cheek into his broad, firm chest, all I caught scent of were evergreen trees, maple and spearmint.

The family sat around patiently, chatting, as Jacob and I ate our cake, which was, admittedly, delicious, when it came to human food.

I'd barely swallowed the last bite before Grandma was clearing our plates and Alice approached with an arm load of gifts.

A First Edition of Jane Eyre from Grandma and Grandpa, both of whom I hugged tightly in thanks. Despite the fact I'd memorized every word a good long time ago, I still read the book over and over again. It was one of my favorites.

Then I started opening things like rugs, and throw pillows, and empty lamp boxes. Now I was confused, but when I looked up at Auntie Alice, standing beside Uncle Jasper, there was pure, unadulterated thrill on her face. Uncle Jasper looked from her to me in amusement, in his typical Uncle-Jasper-way.

"The rest is upstairs," Auntie Alice nearly squealed, reaching for my hand again.

Everyone followed us upstairs to my bedroom, where a huge blue bow was stuck on the door. Auntie Alice pushed the door open and ushered me inside.

Soft light illuminated my bedroom, which looked nothing like it did when I left with mom that morning.

The walls, in the time I'd been gone, had been painted a soft blush pink. There were fluffy white carpets everywhere, a plush grey-silver chair in the corner with a bookshelf, a huge round bed draped in fairy lights and a gauzy canopy.

To my immense surprise, I loved it. It was girly and soft and romantic, and with a few touches of my own, it would be perfect.

"It's gorgeous," I gushed, "Thank you."

Dad gave me a hug and kissed my forehead. "Happy birthday, Renesmee," he whispered.

I hugged each of my family members in turn. They each wished me a happy birthday, subtly sneaking off to their respective nightly routines.

"Seven now," Uncle Emmett joked in his booming voice as he squeezed me tenderly in his big arms, "I tried to buy you a fake ID, but your dad wouldn't let me."

I giggled as he ruffled my hair, tucking it behind my ear as Auntie Rosalie rolled her eyes in playful tolerance, and hugged me next.

Finally it was just me and Jake left in the hallway. He leaned against the wall opposite my bedroom, hands in his pockets. The way he was watching me, when I turned my gaze on him, made me blush.

"Want to take a walk?" he asked.

"Sure."

…

We headed back downstairs and left through the back door, starting across the expansive back yard, toward the cover of trees. Our house sat on a heaving property about fifteen minutes out of town, surrounded by forest, and beyond that, the ocean.

It was very familiar, aside from the ocean, and reminded me of home, which made the transition easier. For the longest time, I didn't feel comfortable in the new house, despite the fact it held all the same furniture, all the same people. I'd take a book and a blanket and retreat into the forest and just read for hours, until someone-usually Jacob-would eventually find me and call me home for dinner.

Almost unconsciously, our hands linked as we stepped beyond the cover of the trees. I didn't know who made the first move, Jacob or me, but it didn't matter. It was as easy as breathing, holding Jake's hand.

Again, that heady, flushed feeling ignited in me, burning first in my cheeks, and then traveling outward, making the surface of my skin tingle, electrical currents in my fingertips. It was new, this sensation, these feelings. I wasn't used to contemplating Jake in this way. We'd always been close, the best of friends, but never in this new, exciting way I was starting to feel, and I just wasn't sure about it.

Jacob stared straight ahead as we walked, the forest debris crunching underneath our feet, and I took an opportunity to stare openly at his face.

He really was beautiful, my Jacob, and he'd always been beautiful, of course, but he was becoming so perfect in such a different way recently. Butterflies batted their wings against the walls of my stomach as I entertained the idea of us, holding hands with more meaning, embracing, kissing...

There were two sides to this newly blooming equation. One side told me to go for it, to tell him how I felt, because the way he sometimes looked at me, or talked in cryptic little codes, told me that maybe, just maybe, he felt the same way about me. But the other side vehemently disagreed, that we were good friends, the best of friends, and that is all we were, and that is all we should ever be, that we had a great thing going, and telling him how I felt would ruin everything.

I sighed, tipping my head back to stare at the stars.

"What?" Jacob asked.

"Nothing," I told him.

"You sighed. That means you're deep in thought."

I fixed my gaze on him again, that deeper intuition rising again. Normal friends wouldn't notice subtle things about each other like that… would they? Maybe they would.

"I'm just… Thinking."

Surprisingly, he let it go. "I haven't given you your birthday present yet."

"Oh, Jake, you didn't have to get me anything," I insisted as he lead me over to a gigantic boulder, sitting down beside me, so close our shoulders were touching. The physical contact had that tingly electricity shooting all over my body again, zapping my nerve endings. I tried to ignore it.

Jacob pulled a little blue velvet pouch from his pocket and put it in my hand.

Inside was a gorgeous ring, gold, topped with a teardrop shaped peridot jewel, my birthstone.

"It's beautiful," I breathed, slipping it onto my right-hand ring finger. "Thank you." Without thinking, because it had always been that natural, I threw my arms around his neck and hugged him close. The gift was so thoughtful, so beautiful, so meaningful.

I planted a kiss on his cheek, in need of a shave, and pulled back to look into his face.

His expression had changed again, his eyes softening in that tender, melting way. My heart thudded in my chest, I was sure he could hear it, because something flickered in his expression, there and then gone so quickly I couldn't quite make it out.

I realized how close our faces were, his fresh, minty breath washing over my cheeks, and I pulled back, looking away, tucking my hair behind my ear timidly.

We sat in silence for a minute. It was dark now, probably pitch-black according to human eyes, but Jake and I could see easily.

Despite that fact, he said, "We should probably head back. It's getting dark."

I stared into the forest for a long moment.

"Yeah," I finally said, "Let's go."

…

When I walked out of my en suite bathroom, in sweatpants and a tank top, my parents were sitting on the edge of my new bed.

"Hey," I said to them, "I was just getting ready to climb into bed to watch some Netflix."

"We wanted to talk to you about something, honey," Mom said.

I slipped the hair tie off my wrist and flipped my head upside down so I could pull all of my hair up into a quick bun. If I didn't sleep with it up, it was a nightmare to comb out in the morning.

"Oh?" I sunk, cross-legged, onto the floor in front of them. The fluffy rug I was sitting on felt like a cloud.

My parents exchanged a look.

"We've been thinking, talking," Daddy started, serious eyes fixed on my face, "about allowing you to attend public school this year. Your mother and I have concluded," he continued, "that you're old enough now to manage high school on your own. We've registered you for the fall semester. You start on Monday."

I felt my lips pop open in shock. "Are you serious?" I cried.

"Dead serious," Mom said, a smile on her lips.

"Oh my god!" I shouted, aware they could hear me if I merely mouthed the words, but I was too excited to contain myself, "oh my god, you guys rock! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I catapulted myself at my parents, hugging them with all my might.

Mom laughed, kissing me on the cheek. Daddy was a little more composed, appearing kind of stressed.

"We'll leave you to rest now," he said, standing. "Sleep well, Renesmee."

"Goodnight," I told my parents as they stepped out into the hallway.

I was so excited that I hopped up on my bed and jumped a few times.

"Yes!" I cried, leaping dramatically into the air, landing silently on the balls of my feet.

Even so, I'd been caught.

"Hey!" I heard uncle Emmett call up the stairs, "No jumping on the bed!"

And then he guffawed at his own, lame joke. I was so overjoyed that I joined in.

…

"Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty!" Auntie Alice called the next morning, letting my bedroom door fall open.

"Unnghh," I groaned, rolling away from the glare of the overhead light and pulling a pillow over my head. "Too. Early."

"It's a quarter past ten," Alice argued, patting my behind through the white down duvet. "C'mon, get up, get up, get up! We're going shopping!"

Immediately, I was sitting up in bed. If there was one thing my Auntie Alice and I had in common that my mom and I didn't, it was a love for shopping and fashion.

…

An hour later, Auntie Alice and I were walking, arm in arm, through Bloomingdale's.

We siphoned through the racks, pulling items, draping them over our arms. I put on a fashion show in the changing rooms.

Jeans, dresses, skirts, cashmere sweaters, handbags, shoes, ankle boots, riding boots…

By the time we were finished, standing at the till, three hours had passed, and we hadn't even hit anywhere else in the mall yet.

"All that we've accomplished, and it's only one in the afternoon," Auntie Alice sighed serenely, passing over her AmEx.

"Thank you, Auntie Alice," I said, watching the sales associates behind the counter load all my new school clothes into bags.

"My pleasure," she said, waving a thin hand dismissively, and I believed it.


	2. First Day

I stared at myself in my vanity mirror on Monday morning. It was hazy, lightly misting, cloudy. _A perfect day for a vampire_ , my family would say. For me, it didn't really matter. Other than a barely noticeable shimmer to my skin when I stepped out into the sunlight, there was no apparent difference that would stop me.

Auntie Alice stood over my shoulder, releasing the last piece of my hair from the big curlers on top of my head. "There," she said, tossing the bountiful, big curls over my shoulders. She sprayed some hairspray, ran her fingers through them, and stood back in appreciation. "You're perfect."

I contemplated. My hair and makeup were en pointe thanks to Alice, and the outfit I'd chosen showed no signs of creasing or imperfection. The jade green crochet lace swing dress sat perfectly over my shoulders, stopping at the knees when standing. I was wearing cork-heeled lace up combat boots and feather earrings.

Despite how much I'd been craving this new beginning, I was nervous. What if I couldn't do it? What if nobody liked me? What if I accidentally used my gift and everyone saw me as a freak? I'd lost a lot of sleep last night, tossing and turning between worst-case-scenario nightmares of the coming day.

"You're lucky you're superhuman," Alice had said to me earlier as she applied concealer under my eyes, "These bags would be much more pronounced if you weren't." She'd shaken her head and muttered something to herself that sounded a lot like, "You and your mother and big days."

"Nearly," I said now, in reference to her perfection comment.

I reached for the jewelry box on my vanity and slid open the smallest bottom drawer. A lone bracelet sat there. Jacob's braided bracelet he gave me for my first Christmas. I hadn't worn it in awhile, but I needed the peace and confidence it brought, this morning.

"There," I said, adjusting it minutely on my wrist. "Now I'm perfect."

Alice smiled softly at me in the mirror and squeezed my shoulders.

…

When I got downstairs, the house was, of course, already bustling with activity, picking up noise and enthusiasm now that I was awake and not at risk of being disturbed.

I stepped into the kitchen, finding Grandma Esme standing at the stove, cracking an egg into the sizzling pan there.

"Good morning, Renesmee," she told me, smiling sweetly at me over her shoulder.

"Morning, Grandma," I replied, kissing her on the cheek as I passed, on my way to the coffee maker. I pulled a big red mug from the cupboard and began to pour the liquid gold into my cup. As I settled the pot back into its place, Jacob walked into the kitchen, hair still damp from his morning shower.

"Morning, everyone," he said as he headed toward me. "Morning, Ness." As he passed, he plucked the cup of coffee so subtly from my hand that I barely noticed.

"Hey!" I objected once he was halfway across the kitchen, taking a sip of _my_ coffee.

Jacob laughed his adorable, barking laugh and surrendered the cup when I came at him with my teeth pulled back in a playful snarl, fully ready to pounce at him.

"Just doing quality control," he defended himself as I jabbed him in the ribs with my free hand. "Had to make sure it wasn't poisoned." He reciprocated, poking me right where it tickled most. I squealed, jumping back out of his reach, making sure not to spill my coffee.

"Your breakfast is ready, Renesmee," Grandma informed me, sliding the plate of toast and eggs onto the kitchen table.

"Thanks, Grandma," I said, sticking my tongue out at Jake as I headed toward the table.

He only grinned at me and followed as Grandma cracked three more eggs into the pan on the stove, for Jacob.

He slid into the seat beside me as I picked up my fork, breaking the egg yolk.

"Hey," he observed, "You're wearing my bracelet."

For some reason, his mensuration made me self conscious. "Yeah," I said lamely, taking a bite of my breakfast. When I was finished chewing I added, "I need all the luck I can get today."

"You'll do great," he assured me as Daddy stepped into the kitchen.

I shrugged, taking a sip of coffee.

"Morning, Renesmee," Daddy said, stopping behind my chair to put his hands on my shoulders and kiss the top of my head, "Are you well rested?"

"Yep." Lies. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jacob raise his eyebrows at me. He could always tell when I was lying.

"Ready for your first day of school?" Daddy asked, sitting in the chair on my other side.

Grandma deposited a plate of food triple the size of my meal in front of Jacob, and a fresh cup of coffee.

"Thanks, Esme," he said before digging in.

I sighed in response to my father's question. "Ready as I'll ever be."

He seemed to pick up on my apprehensive tone, and he leaned toward me, putting his hand over mine. "You can always come home, if you need to. If, at any moment, it becomes too much for you, for your senses-if it becomes too overwhelming…"

"I'll be fine, Daddy," I insisted, not sure if I was trying to convince him or myself. I hurried to finish my breakfast now, eager to escape his pushy over-protectiveness, if only because I was worried it would convince me to back out. And deep down, past the anxiety and fear, I really did want this.

Besides, wasn't anxiety about the first day of school normal? It had to be.

Before I was finished my meal, Jacob was taking his last bite and putting his plate in the sink. I glanced at the clock on the microwave as I took another mouthful of coffee.

"I'd better get going," I said, standing with my dishes. "I'm gonna be late." Alice had taken longer to get me ready than we'd both planned for. Which was odd. Either she'd planned on something else and changed her mind, or she'd read her vision wrong-which was even odder.

"I'll drive you," Jacob offered as I deposited my dishes in the sink next to his. "I drive faster."

I saw the warning look Daddy shot him as I followed Jacob out of the kitchen, and suppressed a giggle.

…

"I'll pick you up at 2:30," Jacob said when he'd stopped in front of Portsmouth high school. The rain was picking up outside the car, and I'd forgotten a rain jacket.

"Yeah, okay. Wish me luck."

Jacob reached over and softly punched me on the shoulder. "Good luck, Nessie. You look stunning."

I took a big breath, bracing myself, and stepped out into the deluge. I hurried inside, finding the office easily. There was a brunette girl sitting in one of the chairs in the waiting area. She appraised me curiously when I walked in.

"Hi," I said to the secretary sitting behind the front desk. She had short, graying hair and was wearing a purple shift dress. "I'm Renesmee Masen. It's my first day here."

We'd decided it would be best if we kept our family name separated from Grandpa Carlisle's, as he was working in the same area.

The lady blinked up at me from behind her delicate, gold rimmed glasses, and then pushed them up her forehead, into her hair, as if to take a second, more thorough look at me. She had an expression of awed disbelief on her face.

"Well hi there, dear," she finally said, "Aren't you pretty."

I felt myself flush slightly. "Um, thanks."

She seemed to shake her head, gather her wits, and then turned toward her computer monitor. "Let's get you situated."

As she typed away and printed my class schedule, event calender, student handbook and the school lunch menu, the girl who I'd seen when I walked in stepped up to me. Up closer, I could see that her eyes were the prettiest shade of hazel, green and blue and orange, all swirled together. Her hair was in two french braids.

"Hey," she said to me, "I'm Evelyn. You're the new girl, right?"

"Um, yeah," I said, eyeing her outstretched hand awkwardly. I didn't want to touch her if I didn't have to. That was one of the things my parents had warned me about, since my skin was so much hotter than a normal human's. Plus, the obvious thoughts-transmitted-through-skin-thing. "Renesmee Masen," I introduced myself.

She snickered, her nose scrunching up in the cutest way and said, "That's a mouthful."

I smiled and said, "My friends call me Nessie."

She didn't seem to make the connection to the Loch Ness monster, like most people did. "Anyway, Ms. Glos sent me to get you for first period."

"Oh, great," I replied, thankful to have a guide.

"Okay, dear," the secretary said, coming back to the desk. "I've got all your paperwork here."

"Thanks so much," I said, taking the pile and slipping it into my tasseled hobo bag.

"Have a great first day," she requested, smiling.

"I will."

Evelyn led me out of the office and across the school lobby.

"So, where are you from?" she asked as we walked. We were the only ones in the hallway, and despite Jake's quick driving, the secretary had made me late.

"Um, Washington," I said, trying to remember the answers I'd rehearsed with my family in my head.

 _Give vague, indirect answers. If they get too personal, redirect the attention to their selves. Try not to get too attached._

"Oh, whereabouts? I have family in Washington. Seattle, actually."

"Oh, closeby there," I said.

Suddenly Evelyn veered in front of me, stirring up the scent of her perfume and blood. As it hit me, it took me slightly off guard and I froze, automatically holding my breath.

"We're right here," Evelyn said, gesturing to the closed door of a classroom, oblivious to my sudden discomfort.

My throat burned, but as I focused on reciting the declaration of America in every language I knew-which was eight-the temptation edged away.

I followed Evelyn into the classroom. When we walked in, everyone was staring at us, and I felt the very human reaction burn in my cheeks.

"Hi, there," Ms. Glos said, "You must be Renesmee."

I nodded, surprised by the timidness I felt. For how social I was at home, in this new setting I was quite shy. Maybe it was just because everyone was staring at me.

"Well, there's an open seat beside Aiden there," she said, gesturing to a boy with dark hair flattened in the back, and messy on top, like he'd slept on it and not thought to brush it before coming to school. He was staring at me, eyes wide, mouth slightly open, like a lot of the other kids in the room.

As I headed his way, I had a feeling I'd better get used to this reaction, from the students and the staff alike.

…

By the time lunch rolled around, I'd been introduced to twenty different students. Twelve of them had been female, eight of them male.

In the cafeteria now, the table I sat at with Evelyn and two of her closest friends, Nicole and Pen, was crowded with students. It seemed to be a never ending stream of student traffic, everyone stopping to talk to us. I barely had time to get a bite of lunch in me, which was absolutely fine with me. Anytime I could avoid eating human food was a good time.

I was introduced to Nathan, Rowan, Kayla, Lisa, Maggie, Harold, Ty, Sam, Wyatt, Sophie, Callie, and Colin, all in just fifteen minutes.

If I had been merely human, I would have been completely overwhelmed by the onslaught of new faces and names. As it was, I remembered each name and each face.

"Hey," a voice said, and I heard a chair scrape across the floor. When I glanced over, the boy from my first period class, Aiden, was sitting down next to Nicole. "Sorry I'm late. Had to go over a homework assignment with Mr. Whitaker." He glanced up and saw me sitting there then and froze, his hand halfway in his crumpled paper lunch bag.

"Hey," Nicole said, gesturing between the two of us. "Have you met Renesmee, Aiden? She's new. Ness, this is Aiden. He's my twin brother."

I couldn't see the resemblance, but then, they were fraternal twins, so the chances of them looking totally alike was unlikely.

"We met in first period," I explained and then offered Aiden a careful smile. "Hey."

He blinked, flushing beet red, up to his ears. "Hi," he finally blurted.

Before anyone else could say anything more, the bell chimed, and it was time to move on to my next class.

…

I had advanced music theory after lunch, with Pen. Her full name was Penelope, but she said she hated it, and insisted I call her Pen. She had flame red hair, more freckles than pale, rose and cream skin, and was a tiny sprite of a thing. Shorter than Alice, even.

We walked to class together, not really talking much. Pen seemed to be the quiet one of the group, and I liked it. She hadn't tried to pry much out of me, unlike the remaining group of her friends had, and I appreciated the respect for my privacy.

"Here we are," Pen announced when we came up to the classroom door. I followed her in, and we took a table near the back together.

The second bell rang, and the teacher, a man who looked more like a football coach than an advanced music theory teacher, stepped to the front of the room, busying himself by writing on the whiteboard, as a few more students filtered in. In the corner of the board, I saw his name. Mr. Hanson.

"Punctuality," he said over his shoulder as a couple of pupils scrambled for seats, "is a virtue."

Finally, when it seemed everyone had arrived, he turned.

"It appears we have a new student today," he announced, sharp blue eyes finding me in the back row, "Why don't you stand and introduce yourself, Miss. Masen?"

I cleared my throat and pushed back my chair. It scraped loudly against the linoleum, the only sound in the room. Everyone was staring at me. God, I couldn't wait until this all passed.

"I'm Renesmee Masen," I said, "I just moved here with my family this summer from Washington, and I… Really love music," I finished lamely.

"What's your specialty?"

"My-my specialty? I guess… I'm pretty good at piano."

Mr. Hanson gestured to the keyboard in the corner of the room. "Why don't you show us what you're made of?"

"Oh-" I began to protest.

"I insist," he pushed, "Last week, every other student did the same. It's your turn, Miss. Masen."

Apprehensively, I started toward the keyboard. No one had warned me about hiding my talents, so I figured it wasn't that big of a deal.

I sat on the bench and glanced up, finding every pair of eyes in the room on me. Then I lowered my fingers to the keyboard and began to play.

I hadn't consciously thought of the piece I was going to play beforehand, but now, flowing from my hands, came Polanaise No. 1 in C sharp Minor.

Mr. Hanson let me play the entire song through, and when I finally looked up as it drifted to an end, he was staring at me in complete and utter shock.

The room burst into enthusiastic applause, and as if on cue, I blushed scarlet.

Mr. Hanson seemed to recover. He assigned the class sheet work, and just as I had written my name in the top right corner of my page, he approached me.

"Renesmee, may I speak with you in my office?"

I glanced up, and then over at Pen, who was still staring at me in amazement from time to time.

"Sure, Mr. Hanson," I said, and stood, following him across the room, toward his office at the back.

Mr. Hanson's tiny office was cramped and too warm. There were stacks of music theory books, records and CD's everywhere. It was chaos, and my aunt and grandmother would have had a grand time reorganizing everything for poor Mr. Hanson.

"Take a seat," he urged, gesturing to the chair in the corner. I did, setting my bag at my feet.

Mr. Hanson leaned against his desk-where I didn't know how he got any work done, because it was blanketed in papers and more books.

The scent of his blood filled the space, making my throat tingle.

 _Easy, Ness,_ I urged myself, _Don't go attacking the high school music teacher, now._

"Renesmee, that was brilliant," Mr. Hanson told me. "In all my years teaching here, I've never heard a sophomore play as brilliantly as you."

"Um, thank you."

"You've heard of Julliard, haven't you?"

I laughed, partially in disbelief, partially at my own stupidity. Of course on my first day here, I'd overstep the bounds. But then, no one had set any rules for me regarding this area of expertise. And everyone knew how much I loved to play the piano. They'd known I'd be taking music theory. They'd known I'd be playing a piano soon enough. They'd known I wouldn't have liked to hide my talent.

"I have a friend there. He's always telling me to keep an eye out for gifted students, and you, Renesmee, are insanely gifted…"

…

Jacob was waiting for me, leaning against his motorcycle, across the street after the final bell rang at 2:30.

When I stepped out of the school, I saw his face break into a blazing grin. Automatically, my smile echoed his own. Checking quickly for cars-though I had a theory I'd do more damage to them than they'd do to me if we happened to collide-I darted across the street, and into Jake's arms.

He picked me up and swung me around twice before setting me back on my feet.

"Hey, gorgeous. How was your day?"

"Great. How'd you swing taking the motorcycle?" I asked as he passed me a helmet. I pulled it on over my head and carefully straddled the bike behind him.

"I've been out all afternoon. I don't think your dad knows."

I scoffed. "Oh, Jacob. Are you trying to get yourself a lecture?"

He laughed, and revved the engine, waiting for a break in traffic. "Seriously. How was your day? Tell me all about it."

He pulled out into the street, weaving between a couple of cars and turning onto a less busy road.

"Well, my music teacher wants to prepare me for an early admission to Julliard," I said over the snarl of the bike.

"What?" Jake crowed, "That's awesome, Nessie!"

"Yeah, I don't think my family will feel the same. I'm not exactly flying under the radar in that area…"

Jacob laughed. "Who cares? You, Renesmee Masen, are amazing, and the whole world should know it."

The bike roared, and Jacob picked up speed as we coasted past city limits. The air whipping past us felt cool on my heated cheeks.

…


	3. Let Loose

Jacob and I were making tacos for dinner.

"What is _that_?" he goaded when my iPod, on the entertainment system, switched to a Latin/salsa type number.

I laughed at his obvious teasing, his reaction making me blush good naturedly-but really, what didn't make me blush when I was around Jacob these days?

"I'm trying to expand my tastes in music!" I defended as I grated the cheese at the counter.

"Well, expand the other way!" he said, chuckling, stirring the taco meat around in the skillet on the stove. He walked over to the iPod dock, scrolling through the options for a minute, and then selected Skillet's 'Those Nights'.

He started head banging to the opening guitar chords, and I laughed again. I'd been laughing so hard with Jake this evening that my stomach was starting to hurt.

He'd seemed overjoyed to see me when school let out that afternoon, and Evelyn had texted me after I'd left.

.

Evelyn: Who's the babe?

.

I'd felt a simultaneous sense of pride and possessiveness rise inside me.

 _That's my Jacob,_ I'd said in my head.

.

Me: His name's Jacob. He's my best friend.

.

Now, I wished I could tell Jacob about it, how he was mine and no one else's, but who was I to claim him? He wasn't mine. Unless he wanted to be…

"Hey! Earth to Nessie!" Jacob called, poking me underneath the arm. He made me jump, and I looked down at the now-mangled cheese grater in my hands.

I grinned at him sheepishly. "Oops."

"You know," he playfully chided me, "That's the second cheese grater Esme has had to buy this month."

"Hey," I shot back, tossing a handful of cheddar at him, "The first one was your fault."

"That was not my fault! You scared me jumping around the corner like that! You practically pulled that cheese grater out of my hands and chucked it through the window yourself!"

I snickered as I pulled down a couple plates from the cupboard. "You're dreaming."

He shot me a wolfish grin.

…

Later, as we sat down to eat, the lighter mood from earlier gave way to seriousness. That's what I loved about hanging out with Jacob. We could goof off and be total hooligans together one minute, but in the next minute, we could actually _talk._

There'd always been this connection between us, a tribe-ish sort of friendship, no bars, no walls. I wasn't afraid to tell Jacob anything-well, _nearly_ anything-and I hoped he felt the same way.

"So, how was school? Y'know, other than being accepted into Julliard at seven years old?" Jacob teased, shoving half of his first taco into his mouth in one humungous bite.

"Everyone was… very friendly." I remembered how many people I'd met that day. All of them had the same slack-jawed, googly-eyed expression on their faces.

Jacob chuckled at my expression as I recalled the day. "Too friendly?"

I squeezed my forefinger and thumb together as I chewed.

"How many dates did you get asked on?"

I flushed, chagrined. "None!"

"Oh, come on, Ness. Not one guy?"

I was _really_ blushing now. I remembered a few of the boys, the way they'd talked to me. Aiden, especially. "Honestly, I think they were all too intimidated by me to ask me out."

"All of them?"

I waved my hand at him. "Whatever. They were just being nice."

"Sure, sure," he dismissed, "You believe that. Until you get twenty-five invites to prom."

"Jacob Black," I scolded, "You know the only person I'd ever take to prom is you."

Jacob winked at me. "I'm no person, Ness. Remember that."

I giggled and turned back to my food. "Neither am I."

"Well," he considered, "You're halfway there. So you've got a good head start."

…

The remainder of the week passed without incident, once I knew to keep my superhuman talents under wraps.

Jacob kept insisting on driving me to school. When I asked him what he did all day when I was gone, he'd give me vague, non-descriptive answers that made me wonder if he didn't just run around in his wolf form all day.

There was this unexplainable guilt that opened up inside me every time I shut the car door behind me, put my earphones in, and walked away. One time, I'd looked back, and there was this expression on Jake's face that filled my chest with lead. It was as if it were saying, 'Here we go. Time to face another unending day'. It wasn't boredom, it wasn't even apathy. It was somewhere between the most desolate depression and the sharpest despair.

I didn't look over my shoulder again after that.

I busied myself with homework-overachieving in that area, but it was difficult not to-getting to know the girlfriends, and some guy friends, I'd made. This was what I'd wanted, what I'd begged for, for so long. I'd be damned if I wasn't going to try and soak it all in.

So when Evelyn asked me on Thursday what my plans were for the weekend, I said nothing.

"Good. Because Tyler's throwing a party, kind a kick off for the football season, or whatever?" She flipped her hand in the air, "We all just use it as an excuse to party at his house. You should see it. He lives a few minutes outside town, and his house is _huge_! There's always tons of beer, and games, and the swimming pool's usually still out this time of year… What do you say? Are you in?"

I contemplated, wondering what my parents would say, what Jake would say. They probably wouldn't want me to go.

But I was in the prime of my life, and if I wanted to 'live it up' like any normal teenage girl, who was to tell me no?

"Sure," I agreed, "Sounds like fun."

…

Since Jacob and I had been caught on the motorcycle earlier in the week, Jacob had been using the S60 for drop-off's and pick-up's.

"Hey," I said when I climbed into the passenger seat after the final bell on Friday, "Wanna go to a party tonight?"

Jacob kind of snorted and looked over at me. "What?"

"You heard me." I plunked my bag on the floor in front of me and strapped myself in. "My friends invited me to a party tonight and I said I'd go."

I pretended not to see the disapproving look Jake gave me before pulling out into the after-school traffic. "Why did you tell them that?"

I huffed through my nose. "Because I want to go the party, Jake. Isn't this what going to high school and making friends is all about?"

"It wasn't for me," he muttered, slowing to allow another car in front of him, "And it definitely wasn't for your parents, either."

"Well… Times have changed."

Jacob threw his head back and laughed. "Nessie! It's been seven years."

"A lot can change in seven years!" I cried, trying not to laugh at my far-fetched defense. Even I had to admit, it was a stretch of an idea.

Suddenly, the wide, grinning smile on Jacob's face disappeared. Instantly, his mood sobered as he said, almost too low for me to hear, "Yes, it sure can."

I sighed, bouncing in my seat a little, impatient for his bright and sunny mood to come back. "Come on, Jake. It'll be fun!"

"Why do I get a feeling it won't be?" he asked, rolling his eyes. He picked up speed, as we turned out of town.

…

"Auntie Alice," I whispered.

Alice glanced up from her laptop computer, curled up on the lilac chaise in hers and Jasper's bedroom. Online shopping, I'd bet. "Hey, gorgeous," she said, ushering me into the room.

"Can you help me with something?" I asked her, hoping everyone downstairs was too distracted by the card game they were all playing to overhear my request.

"Of course. What is it?"

"Could you do my hair? I'm… Jake and I are going to a party tonight."

Auntie Alice set aside her laptop and stood, coming towards me. "And why are we being so secretive about it?" she whispered as we exited her bedroom and walked down the hall to mine.

"Because my parents don't know I'm going. They'd never let me go."

Alice mulled this over for a moment as she rifled through the makeup pallets in my vanity drawer. By the blank look in her eyes, it appeared as if she were looking for an actual answer. "Nope, they probably wouldn't," she surmised, and patted the stool in front of the vanity.

Obediently I sat and let her flat iron my hair, and paint my face in a subtle, glowing way that only Alice could do. I'd sat in front of this vanity for hours. No matter how much I tried, doing my own makeup just wasn't my specialty.

…

It was a quarter after eight when I made my way down the basement steps, past the small kitchenette and entertainment space, and knocked on Jacob's bedroom door.

"Come in!" he called.

When I popped open the door, he was just pulling a dark gray t-shirt over his head. I caught a glimpse of that amazing, firm, muscled coppery skin and tried not to blush. And failed, subsequently.

Jacob stared at me for a minute, and I remembered what I was wearing. Simple denim jeans with a double-layered red tank top and black leather jacket, with strappy four inch heels to match. My lipstick matched the top and Alice had pulled my hair up into a stylish, voluminous ponytail.

Jacob finally found his voice. "You're gonna go to a party in that?"

"What's wrong with it?" I asked, frowning.

It might have just been me, but the back of Jake's neck looked red as he busied himself with finding his motorcycle keys. "Nothing," he muttered under his breath.

Something jumped in my belly when he said that-reminiscent of that new, tingly feeling I got when I was around Jacob.

Jake got down on his hands and knees, peeking under the bed. He pulled the keys out, holding them up in victory.

"Ready to go?"

"Let's do it."

I led the way upstairs, and we had almost made it through to the door when I heard my dad's voice behind me.

"Where do you think you're going?"

I turned, sighing. "What? Can't Jake and I go out on a Friday night?"

"I meant with the motorcycle keys." He turned his steel gaze on Jacob now. "What did I say about Renesmee and motorcycles, Jacob?"

Jake glanced between me and my dad. "I-"

"Come on, Daddy. I'm not going to get hurt."

"No motorcycles," he said, eyes narrowing, and Jacob surrendered the keys.

I huffed a sigh, planting my hands on my hips.

"And where do you think you're going in that, young lady?" he continued.

I glanced down at my outfit, raised an eyebrow at my dad as if to say, _Really?_ but when he opened his mouth to speak again, I surrendered and zipped the jacket up to my neck.

Daddy's eyes softened. He'd totally missed the sass. Or was ignoring it. "Thank you. Have fun."

I followed Jake out the front door, and as soon as we'd hit the grass, I unzipped the jacket again.

…

Evelyn was right. Tyler could throw one heck of a party.

Much to my surprise, Jacob was immediately popular with the guys. I considered suggesting he join me at the high school, but knew he probably wouldn't go for it. Besides, acting like the older guy seemed to give him an edge, and I doubt he wanted to give that up.

It was soon after Evelyn found us that Jake and I got separated.

"Come get a drink," she urged, taking my wrist in the hand that wasn't occupied by a red solo cup.

I went with her, over to the keg, and let her pour me a beer. I took a sip and wondered why everyone enjoyed it so much.

I found myself drinking it anyway. I figured it would probably be rude for me to refuse it. When I'd finished my first drink, someone offered me a cooler, and that tasted much better. Evelyn dragged me from room to room, introducing me to different people, roping me into little social circles I had a feeling I'd soon be a part of. I was beginning to gather that Evelyn was friends with anybody and everybody, which wasn't a bad thing. She had a bubbly personality, friendly, smiley and charismatic. Tonight she had her hair curled, and it bounced every which way as she told animated stories.

I watched it bounce harder, and more crazily, the more she had to drink.

I was beginning to notice that, though we'd been drinking the same amount, and the same mixture of alcohols, Evelyn was definitely getting tipsy; whereas I wasn't feeling the effects of the alcohol at all. Deciding that was probably a good thing, and shrugging it off, I smiled at the couple of cheerleaders we'd been talking to and let Evelyn drag me away, through the sliding glass doors, out onto the back patio.

The pool was teeming with party-goers, some partially clothed in the clothes they'd come in, some in bathing suits, some stripped right down to their underwear. Where there weren't guys showing off their diving skills, there were girls at the edge of the pool dancing in bikinis, more kids splashing around in the water, bouncing an inflatable beach ball back and forth over a net stretched across the water.

At the other end of the patio were more groups of people, gathered around what I suddenly realized was a game of Beer Pong.

All of this I'd only ever read about in books, or seen in movies, and so experiencing it now for the first time was slightly dizzying, but intriguing. The vibration of the party-goers was potent, and I was having fun, despite the fact I'd probably get reamed out later if my parents found out where I'd been.

"Hey, there's your boyfriend!" Evelyn called over the noise of the party, pointing toward the far end of the Ping-Pong table.

"What?" I said, bemused, and glanced over. "Oh my god!" I said under my breath now when I saw Jacob, downing an entire red solo cup of beer. It sloshed over the edges of his lips, down his jaw and throat. He slammed the empty cup down on the table, and even over the noise of the party I could hear him laughing, as cheers rose up around him.

As he grinned, he swept the crowd and his gaze landed on me. I realized that I was standing there with my mouth hanging open, and he grinned wider, winking at me.

I couldn't help the smile that carved its way through my reluctant face, though I tried to be serious and look disapproving. Which was usually Jacob's job, so I didn't do very well at it.

Now he was doing a little dance with the ping-pong balls between his fingers, which had me smiling wider, exactly his aim, because he looked over at me, laughing again.

Okay, Jacob was totally in his element.

…


End file.
